Game apparatus



' April 21, 1931. w TURRALL Q Y 1,801,701

GAME APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Shea! l April 21, 1931. w, TURRALL 1,801,701

GAME APPARATUS Filed April 4, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 21, 1931 UNITED STA WILLIAM TURRALL, or LONDON, ENGLAND GAME APPARATUS Application filed April 4, 1929, Serial No. 352,504, and in Great Britain April 13, 1928.

This. invention relates to apparatus for playing a bowling game and more particularly refers to a game in which balls or the like are delivered by the. players along a track with a view to directing them into one or more compartments of a'structure at the end of the track, each compartment having a certain scoring value.' An object of this invention is to. improve upon the method of indicating the scoring so that there can be no doubt as to the compartments entered by the balls. Av further object of this invention is to enable each ball to actually be seen in I the compartment entered- According to this invention each of the compartments in the structure accommodating them has located beneath its entrance for the ball a passage along which the ball entering the compartment travelsand is visible to the player, means being provided whereby the movement of the ball during its passage is utilized to operate an electrical circuit closing device for illuminating an electric incandescent lamp which illuminates the particular compartment entered by the ball.

In carrying the invention into practice the 'end of the track towards which the balls are bowled is formed with compartments into which the balls may pass. The compart- 0 ments are obtained by a number of vertical partitions across the front of which glass or other transparent material is fitted. It is preferred that different coloured material be used for each compartment. The balls entering the tops of the compartments drop down the compartment and are visible as they'drop, the balls falling on to an inclined transverse chute for returning to'thebowling end of the track.

The balls are bowled or directed over or toward suitable means for absorbing the energy of the balls, so that they fall comparatively gently on to the inclined surface and roll into the compartments. Each com-' partment accommodates a movable member which is engaged and moved by a ball entering the compartment and operates a score indicating device. 7 The movement of each said member is also utilized to operate an electrical circuit closing device for illumian electric incandescent lamp located each compartment.

nating behind In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily'carried into efiect, two sheets ofdrawings are appended herewith illustrating an embodiment of same, and wherein z- 1 V Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the structure containing the said compartments.

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the.

said structure.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of the interior of the structure containing the compartments.

Fig. 4 is a side veiw of the swinging arms adapted to actuate the score indicator and electrical circuits.

. Fig. 5 is a plan view of'Fig. 4 showing the arm actuating the score indicator. 2

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the striking mechanism for operating the score indicator;

Referring to the drawings the balls are bowled towards the front of the apparatus (Fig. 1) along a track which ends in a curved ramp or guide extending beneath and around The balls are thus theback of the apparatus.

constrained to follow a path which ultimately projects them back towards the bowler and into a cushioning device hereinafter referred to as 10, and thereafter into compartments 2 each having a predetermined value and visible to the bowler. one of the compartments 2 which are separated by vertical partitions 3 spaced apart at intervals slightly greater than the diameter 1 of a ball. At the bottom of the compartments is a transverse channel 4 having an inclined base 5 padded with felt, rubber or other suitable material along which the balls. roll through an opening 6 in the side of the cas- 1 ing and return to the delivery end of the bowling track.

Toavoid any dispute as to which compartment a ball enters, the compartments have glass or other transparent front and rear I walls 7, and 7a. The transparent walls 7a are of a different colour for each compartment. The balls enter the compartments 2 by rolling down an inclined surface 8 the lower end of which is located above the com- Each ball drops down partments 2 and abuts against the partitions 3. This inclined surface is preferably covered with felt, rubber or other suitable material 9 for preventing injury to the balls.

As the balls are frequently bowled with some considerable force it is desirable to absorb most of this force before the balls enter the compartments, and one. way of effecting this is to provide a cushioning device against which the balls impinge before falling on the inclined surface 8. The preferred form of cushioning device consists of a strip of suitable flexible material located across the path of travel of the balls so that the balls lose a large amount of their impetus by striking the said strip. In Fig. 2 this strip is indicated by the reference numeral 10 and is secured along an upper horizontal edge to the free edge of a cover 11 forming the top of the structure containing the compartments 2. The lower horizontal edge of this strip 10 is secured to an inclined horizontal transverse board 12 located above the compartments 2 and the inclined surface 8, the width of this strip 10 being greater than the distance between the horizontal members 11 and 12.

The lower edge of the strip 10 is secured as indicated at 13 towards the front edge of the inclined member 12 and is located between a weighted bag 14; and the member 12, the bag 1 1 being a horizontal tubular member filled with sand or other weighty soft material and being free to swing upwards about the point 18 where it is secured along one edge with the lower edge of the strip 10. It will be appreciated that as a ball impinges against the strip 10 the bag 14 is raised to permit the strip 10 to be forced irwards, the weight of the bag 14 returning the strip 10 to its normal position and opposing the force of the balls to reduce the energy of the ball before it falls onto the inclined surface 8. Opposite the lower end of the surface 8 is a buffer 15 of felt, rubber or other suitable material to deaden the shock of the ball as it enters a compartment 2.

Located across the upper end of each compartment 2 is the free end of one of a number of arms 16 free to swing about a transverse rod 17 to which are fixedly secured a number of shorter arms 18, one being located in each compartment 2. Upon a ball striking the free end of an arm 16 such arm is swung downwards without any movement of the rod 17 until one end of a screw 19 carried by said arm 16 strikes the free end of the appropriate arm 18 whereby the rod 17 is rotated axially, the amount of rotation imparted to the rod 17 depending upon the lost motion due to the angle between the arms 16 and 18, the smaller this angle the greater being-the rotation of the rod 17. The rotation of the rod 17 is utilized to operate a scoring device, the score indicated depending upon the amount of rotation of the rod 17 therefore the value of each compartment 2 depends on the lost motion or angle between member 19 and the arm 18 which can be varied by adjustment of the member 19 relative to its arm 16.

Each arm 16 carries at its free end a relatively movable flap 20 which releases the ball into the channel 4 at the requisite moment, each said flap being returned to its normal position, i. e. parallel with its arm 16 by a spring or a counterweight associated with the pivot of each flap. The rod 17 carries an arm 21 the free end of which strikes a swinging arm 22 which is connected by a rod 23 to the score indicator 24, the movement of the rod 23 changing the score indicated. The amount of movement of this rod differs from each compartment 2 as described above. The indicator 24 consists of a drum with a series of hinged plates each numbered. The rod 23 causes one or more of the plates to be dropped according to the amount of movement of the rod thus adding on the score of each bowl and showing the total for any number of consecutive bowls. Springs 25 return the arms 16 to their normal position and a spring 26 connected to the arm 21 returns the rod 17 and arms 18 to their normal positions.

The fact that each ball is visible as it falls down a compartment 2 which face towards the player enable a player to verify the score indicated, but additional verification or better visibility can be obtained if a compartment 2 is illuminated as a ball falls down it. This can be effected by utilizing the movement of each arm 16 to close the circuit of one of a number of electric incandescent lamps 27 located one opposite each compartment 2 and in compartments 2a aligned with the compartments 2. The lamps can have distinguishng colours, or the windows 7a can be of distinguishing colours. Alternatively or in addition each window 7 can be provided with a number which except when a lamp 27 behind it is illuminated is obscured, or requires a light behind it to render it prominent.

A simple method of closing the circuit of each lamp 27 is to provide a wiper contact 28 with each arm 16, for instance a resilient strip of conducting material as shown, the strip being secured at one end to the arm 16 upon an insulating block 16a and having its free end located so as to engage an arcuate fixed contact strip 29 when the arm 16 commences to move.

If desired, each compartment 2 may have an electrically operated scoring device, for instance an indicator operated from a solenoid energized by the contact 28 during its movement engaging a further fixed contact 30, the bridging of the contacts 29 and 30 closing the circuit of the solenoid.

By means of this invention a bowling game is rendered more attractive, and players can per inlet ends of be safeguarded against fraudulent manipulation of the scoring mechanism. It will be apparent that when the arm 16 swings downwards under the influence of the weight of a ball on the flap 20, the ball will roll towards the end ofthe flap 20 when the arm 16 has passed below the horizontal. The Weight of the ball on the outer end of the flap 20 will cause it to swing about the axis of a pivot pin 20a extending laterally from the free end of the arm 16. The ball will drop into the channel 4 and the arm 16 will rise again to its normal position. The predominance of the weight of the flap in rear of the pivot pin 20a will move it back again until a lateral stop 20?), on the flap engages the arm 16.

I claim 1. In a game apparatus having a plurality of compartments arranged to receive a projectile, upper and lower spaced horizontal members extending adjacent said compartment in the path of the flexible material extending between said members, the width of said strip being greater than the space between said members, and a movable weight bearing upon the lower part of said strip.

2. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of vertical channels for receiving a projectile aimed by a player, said Vertical channels being arranged side by side and having upper inlet ends and lower outlet ends, transparent front walls to said channels, so that the projectile when in the channel is visible to the player, an electric lamp associated with each channel, a movable eleprojectile, a strip of 7 WILLIAM TURRALL.

ment in each channel adapted to be operated by the projectile as this falls upon it by the action of gravity,

and a circuit closing device operable by each of said movable elements for lighting the associated lamp.

3. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of vertlcal channels for receiving a projectile aimed by a player, said vertical channels being arranged side by side and having upper inlet ends and lower outlet ends, transparent front walls to said channels so that the projectile when in a channel is visible to the player, an electric lamp associated with each channel, a rock shaft extending across said channels, a plurality of swingable arms loose in said rod, a pivoted flap on each swingable armone flap projecting into each channel in the path of the projectile, a pair of electrical contacts associated with each lamp, a member connected to each arm and adapted to close and open said contacts when the arm is operated.

4. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of vertical channels for receiving a projectile aimed by a player, said vertical channels being arranged side by side and having upper inlet ends and lower outlet ends, cushioning means extending transversely above the upsaid channels, an inclined 

